Samuel F. B. Morse, His Letters and Journals eBook

“I never think of my situation in this country
but with gratitude to you for suffering me to pursue
the profession of my choice, and for making so many
sacrifices to gratify me. I hope I shall always
feel grateful to the best of parents and be able soon
to show them I am so. In the mean time, if industry
and application on my part can make them happy, be
assured I shall use my best endeavors to be industrious,
and in any other way to give them comfort. One
of my greatest blessings here is Mr. Allston.
He is like a brother to me, and not only is a most
agreeable and entertaining companion, but he has been
the means of giving me more knowledge (practical as
well as theoretical) in my art than I could have acquired
by myself in three years.

“In whatever circumstance I am, Mr. Allston
I shall esteem as one of my best and most intimate
friends, and in whatever I can assist him or his I
shall feel proud in being able to do it.

“Mr. and Mrs. Allston are well. I dined
with them yesterday at Captain Visscher’s, whom
I have mentioned to you before as one of our passengers.
He is very attentive to us, visits us constantly, and
is making us presents of various kinds every day,
such as half a dozen best Madeira, etc.
He came out here with his lady to take possession of
a fortune of L80,000 and was immensely rich before,
having married Miss Van Rensselaer of Albany.”

CHAPTER V

SEPTEMBER 20, 1812—­JUNE 13, 1813 Models
the “Dying Hercules.”—­Dreams
of greatness.—­Again expresses gratitude
to his parents.—­Begins painting of “Dying
Hercules.”—­Letter from Jeremiah Evarts.—­Morse
upholds righteousness of the war.—­Henry
Thornton.—­Political discussions.—­
Gilbert Stuart.—­William Wilberforce.—­James
Wynne’s reminiscences of Morse, Coleridge, Leslie,
Allston, and Dr. Abernethy.—­Letters from
his mother and brother.—­Letters from friends
on the state of the fine arts in America.—­“The
Dying Hercules” exhibited at the Royal Academy.—­
Expenses of painting.—­Receives Adelphi Gold
Medal for statuette of Hercules.—­Mr. Dunlap’s
reminiscences.—­Critics praise “Dying
Hercules.”

The young artist’s letters to his parents at
this period are filled with patriotic sentiments,
and he writes many pages descriptive of the state
of affairs in England and of the effects of the war
on that country. He strongly upholds the justice
of that war and pleads with his parents and brothers
to take his view of the matter. They, on the other
hand, strongly disapprove of the American Administration’s
position and of the war, and are inclined to censure
and to laugh at the enthusiastic young man’s
heroics.

As we are more concerned with Morse’s career
as an artist than with his political sentiments, and
as these latter, I fear, had no influence on the course
of international events, I shall quote but sparingly
from that portion of the correspondence, just enough
to show that, whatever cause he espoused, then, and
at all times during his long life, he threw himself
into it heart and soul, and thoroughly believed in
its righteousness. He was absolutely sincere,
although he may sometimes have been mistaken.